Why should we bother to LEARN a foreign language?
So, what are some of these “rewards”: Personal
Lift your own self-esteem and confidence
Enter a wider range of communities (both real and virtual)
Meet more people from other countries and make more friends
Develop your own tolerance and levels of cultural awareness
Learn more about your own language and culture
Enjoy literature and movies without the “smell” of translation
Impress a significant other on a dinner date at foreign restaurant
Help you find your “soul-mate” (even if they live thousands of miles away)
Support your children with their language learning (and access information more quickly
Help stimulate and exercise “more mature” grey matter (and hold off Alzheimer's) Travel
Work and live abroad to gain a broader world view
Show you have genuine interest in other nationalities and cultures
Feel confident to do and see more on holiday (and enjoy the holiday more)
Sample more of the local life and culture on your travels
Appreciate more of the local hospitality and humour
Impress the locals (and help you get better service)
Read signs and avoid getting lost so often
Solve holiday problems and emergencies faster
Help you avoid tourist traps (and being ripped-off)
Break down barriers and the stereotypes that others may have of you and your countryEducation
Learn more about people and their cultures
Improve your own knowledge of your place in our global world
Access more cutting-edge research and scientific knowledge
Set yourself up with more educational opportunities (and better choices)
Take up offers on exchange programmes and study abroad initiatives
Help you stand out from the crowd when applying to colleges and universities
Learn a second or third language faster
Boost your brain power and ability to think logically and more critically (seriously)Finding a job
Choose from a wider range of career options
Stand apart from other applicants and their CVs
Work with multinational companies and representative offices around the world
Obtain a higher starting salary than most monoglots (and earn more in your career)
Settle in a new job faster, network and work with foreign employees more effectively
Move up the “promotion ladder” fasterBusiness
Meet and interact with more potential clients and business partners
Establish rapport with new customers faster
Build better business relationships through e-mail and teleconferences
Work more easily with suppliers and distributors in other countries
Hold more effective face-to-face business meetings (impressing clients and the boss)
Deliver better presentations (and show respect to foreign clients)
Promote your services and products more effectively on global websites
Gain and keep a head-start over your competitors
Reach customers you might previously have missed
Avoid misunderstandings (and profit loss) caused by things getting lost in translation
My thanks to Gizem, Nazlı, Gülay, Fatma, Linda, Önder, Paul and “Dexter” – for helping me compile and polish the “list”.